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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. race — a contest
  5. current — happening now
  6. race — humankind
  7. wind — moving air
  8. current — electric
  9. band — a ring
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. band — a music group
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. race — the arms race
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. current — of water
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com